Home: Intermediate : Awards - Chipmunk, Beaver Eagle

Winona prepares a boy to make his own decisions. His successes at camp raise his level of self-reliance. He can take pride in the nature of his accomplishments, and find joy in the accomplishments of nature.

Importantly, a Winona boy is encouraged to ask questions...to understand what motivates his counselor to teach what he is teaching in the first place. "Until a few decades ago...education was seen as a moral endeavor, not because it sought to indoctrinate but because it was a sharing of things that people held to be important."*

As a corollary, boys at Winona are given every opportunity to talk about whatever they have done. Whether it be the successful "capture" of a medicine stick, the adventures of an overnight trip, or simply the play-by-play of some intramural rivalry, a camper is encouraged to tell the others in his unit what happened to him.

Kept at the unpressured level of "storytelling," and inviting a healthy mix of fact with fiction, these narratives help campers embrace a much more personal summer.

Attitude and effort are recognized through Winona's Order System. Campers measure their progress on achievement charts: Chipmunk - for basic skills, Beaver - for more advanced work, and Eagle - for the most difficult tests of ability. By accumulating skills at these respective levels in a number of different activities, a child is awarded a pin with the corresponding animal insignia to wear on his cap or shirt. Senior campers have a similar system using Merit, Distinction, and Excellence badges.

Overall, both depth and a broad range of interests are stimulated at Winona. Campers have a multitude of choice experiences, highest among which may well be the daily experience of choice itself.